We 1 (12-01) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 27, 2001, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Mark E. Miller at (202)720-7621, office hours 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 88, No. 52 December 16 - 22, 2001 For additional information, call (202) 720-7919. HIGHLIGHTS: Colder air gradually overspread the eastern half of the Nation, ending a 7-week run of remarkable warmth. Late-week snowfall accompanied the cold weather across the upper Midwest and portions of the Great Lakes region, increasing stress on livestock and disrupting transportation. Occasional precipitation (rain and snow) also fell in the Northeast, helping to ease long-term precipitation deficits. Farther south, more heavy rain fell early in the week and again at week's end in areas from eastern Texas to the lower Ohio Valley. As a result, lowland flooding persisted and some winter wheat fields remained submerged. One-month rainfall totals (since November 24) exceeded 20 inches in parts of the Delta. In contrast, only light showers dampened the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain, where pastures and winter wheat continued to suffer from the effects of an extremely dry autumn. Precipitation also largely bypassed winter wheat areas on the Plains, leaving little protective snow cover as cold air began to arrive. In addition, soils remained unfavorably dry in several wheat areas, particularly across Montana and portions of Kansas and Oklahoma. In the West, the continuation of a 6-week wet spell further eased long-term moisture deficits from northern California and the Great Basin northward. However, reservoir supplies which are typically recharged during the spring snow-melt season remained below normal. After midweek, precipitation briefly spread into areas as far south as southern California and the Southwest. Early in the week, heavy rain continued in the lower Mississippi Valley and surrounding areas before spreading into the East. On Sunday, daily-record rainfall totals included 3.68 inches in Little Rock, AR (securing their third consecutive month with above-normal precipitation for the first time since August-October 1997), and 2.29 inches in Paducah, KY. Paducah also set a rainfall record for December 17 (2.70 inches), boosting their month-to-date total to 8.07 inches. In western Tennessee, Memphis received 20.03 inches from November 24-December 17, then netted another 1.29 inches on December 22-23. Meanwhile, another round of heavy precipitation arrived in the Northwest on Sunday, followed by another storm system that moved ashore in California on December 20. Daily-record rainfall totals in western Washington for December 16 included 3.44 inches in Shelton and 2.90 inches in Olympia. Monthly rainfall in Olympia exceeded 10 inches for the second consecutive month, boosting their water year-to-date (October 1-December 20) total to 29.14 inches (165 percent of normal). During the 2000-01 water year, Olympia did not reach the 29-inch mark until August 21, 2001, and netted only 31.28 inches (62 percent of normal) during the entire 12-month period. Farther south, the California Department of Water Resources reported that the water equivalent of the Sierra Nevada snow pack climbed to 13 inches (nearly 140 percent of normal) by December 20, up from approximately 5 inches at the end of November. Cool weather lingered in California, where a light freeze (generally 28 to 32 deg F) struck the San Joaquin Valley on Sunday, and daily-record lows included 25 deg F (on December 17) in Thermal and 18 deg F (on December 19) in Lancaster. Farther east, some record warmth prevailed early in the week, followed by more seasonable temperatures. International Falls, MN, opened the week with consecutive daily-record highs (39 and 37 deg F), while Tampa, FL, continued to experience highs at or above 80 deg F through December 17. Tampa's total of 17 consecutive 80-degree days in December broke their record of 12, set in 1971 and 1972. Warm weather was also observed on the central and southern Plains until week's end, resulting in a daily-record high (68 deg F) on December 18 in Wichita, KS. Meanwhile, temperatures remained mostly above normal across the upper Midwestern and Great Lakes States, despite mid- to late-week snow showers and gusty winds. Streaks of above-normal average temperatures reached 54 days (October 28 - December 20) in Minneapolis, MN, and 51 days (October 31 - December 20) in Marquette, MI. Nevertheless, the season's first measurable snowfall occurred on December 19 in locations such as Milwaukee, WI (0.6 inch), and Moline, IL (0.2 inch). Some other locations, however, continued to await their latest first measurable snowfall on record, including LaCrosse, WI (previously December 7, 1969), Madison, WI (previously December 15, 1999), and Ft. Wayne, IN (previously December 17, 1998). A pair of storm systems produced widespread snowfall in parts of the Northeast, where month-to-date (December 1-20) totals reached 13.0 inches in Bangor, ME, and 9.9 inches in Burlington, VT. In addition, unusually high water temperatures contributed to some impressive snow squall totals downwind of the Great Lakes. On December 17, Lake Erie's near-surface temperature of 45 deg F was 6 deg F above normal and tied the record high for the date set in 1991 and 1998. In New York's Lewis County on December 20-21, Montague received 24 inches of snow in 30 hours. Later in the week, high pressure behind the departing Northeast storm finally dropped readings to freezing at Washington/National Airport (DCA) on December 22. This was Washington's latest first freeze on record, breaking the former date by 8 days set in 1980 (records date back to 1871), and the first time there was no Autumn freeze. This was not the norm in the surrounding suburbs, however, as nearby Washington/Dulles (IAD) and Baltimore-Washington (BWI) airports had already experienced numerous days at or below 32 deg F. Meanwhile, the California storm system moved eastward into the Great Basin and weakened, but by Saturday, had reformed over the central High Plains, producing light precipitation in the central Plains, western Corn Belt, and upper Midwest. However, temperatures, not precipitation, would become the main impact of this storm as Arctic air began to plunge southward and eastward into the central and eastern United States behind the system's cold front. As the week ended, a new upper-air pattern became established, with a deep trough (low pressure) over the East and a strong ridge (high pressure) over the West. The ridge in the West finally brought dry weather to Portland, OR, which observed 34 consecutive days with precipitation (trace or more) before it ended on December 23. This matched other 34-day streaks (11/10-12/13/53, 12/29/49-1/31/50, and 11/12-12/15/48). Bitterly cold weather persisted in Alaska until midweek, helping to hold weekly temperatures as much as 24 deg F below normal (at Bethel). However, milder weather and light precipitation overspread much of the State thereafter. King Salmon, AK, noted three consecutive daily-record lows (-32, -37, and -38 deg F) from December 17-19, then abruptly warmed to 29 deg F on the 19th, representing a rise of 67 deg F in less than 24 hours. Meanwhile, relatively quiet weather prevailed in Hawaii. Some of the heaviest 24-hour totals were observed on the Big Island on December 17-18, when rainfall included 2.00 inches in Honokaa and 1.54 inches in Glenwood. National Agricultural Summary December 17 - 23, 2001 Persistent rain saturated soils in the interior Mississippi Delta, adjacent areas of the southern Great Plains, and many areas along the Ohio River Valley. As a result, many rivers and streams remained above flood levels and water was standing in poorly drained fields. Many winter wheat fields in the Great Plains and Corn Belt remained green due to abnormally warm weather. However, vegetative growth in most fields was limited by sub-freezing over-night temperatures. In the Southeast, winter grains and forages received beneficial precipitation and above-normal temperatures promoted growth. Stormy weather persisted in the Pacific Coast States, producing heavy snow accumulations in the mountain ranges from central California to the Canadian border. 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